1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer software. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for semi-automatic land planning.
2. Description of the Related Art
The term land planning generally refers to the process of allocating natural resources, such as land and water, for specific uses within a development project. The goal of the land planning process is typically to create a land development plan that maximizes return on investment, satisfies regulatory requirements, is sustainable, and at the same time, has adequate aesthetic qualities to attract people to the development. The land planning process often entails balancing a host of competing concerns including, for example, amount of free space versus amount of developed land; preservation of natural features such as existing streams, waterways, forestation, and wildlife habitats versus population density and land-use requirements; and the amount of space dedicated to commercial uses versus residential and recreational uses.
Currently, the land planning process is typically performed manually. For example, a land planner may use a topological relief map, a set of colored pencils, and trace paper. The land planner may overlay the trace paper on the topological relief map and then mark up the trace paper using the colored pencils to indicate portions of the natural resources the land planner proposes to be put to various uses, along with some basic proposals for locating infrastructure elements, such as roads. During this process, the land planner may use the topological relief map to determine attributes such as slope and aspect and incorporate this information into the proposed land development plan. The land planner may also use tools, such as a calculator and a spreadsheet, to determine and tabulate areas dedicated to a given use, such as commercial development and water areas. An engineer may then evaluate the proposed land development plan using separate hardware or software tools to ensure adherence with design criteria such as sustainability, environmental, economic, and regulatory constraints. After the engineer has approved the proposed land development plan, other stakeholders, such as the land-owners, design contractors, and community review boards, may review the plan.
If any of the stakeholders request a change to the proposed land development plan, the land planner may need to manually change the plan (again, using trace paper) and the engineer may need to evaluate this revised plan. The land planning process typically requires several iterations before a land development plan is approved. Once a land development plan is approved, the land planner may create and transmit the final paper land development plan to the design contractor. The design contractor may use this land development plan as the basis for more detailed design. Increasingly, design contractors use computer aided design (CAD) tools to efficiently generate and modify computer models, drawings, and other documentation related to development projects. To proceed with the development project, the design contractor may recreate the paper land development plan in an electronic form in a CAD tool.
One drawback to this approach to land planning is that it time consuming and expensive to create and accurately evaluate different land-use possibilities for a given development project. Moreover, if a stakeholder requests a change, the land planning process may need to be repeated at least once and perhaps multiple times. Another drawback to this approach is that the design contractor may need to recreate the land development plan in a CAD tool each time the design changes in order to efficiently perform the detailed design of the development project. Recreating the land development plan in this fashion is both error-prone and tedious.
As the foregoing illustrates, there remains a need in the art is a more effective and flexible technique for creating, evaluating, and communicating land development plans.